


Too Many

by jesuisherve



Category: Trailer Park Boys
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Father Figures, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-02
Updated: 2014-01-02
Packaged: 2018-01-07 04:01:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1115248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesuisherve/pseuds/jesuisherve
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim Lahey gets an unexpected phone call from the police station.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Too Many

**Author's Note:**

> I reference the old, black and white Trailer Park Boys pilot movie in this fic. If you haven't seen it, I suggest looking it up on YouTube or something!

The phone rang, startling Jim Lahey awake. He reached for it sleepily, knocking an empty glass off the bedside table. It landed with a loud crash but surprisingly did not shatter. Lahey grabbed the phone and held it to his ear. "Jim Lahey speaking," he muttered, stretching his arm over the bed and groping blindly for the glass.

  
"Jim."

  
It was Julian's voice. Lahey blinked hard a few times and shook his head to wake up more. His fingers bumped the glass and it rolled further away. "Julian? What the fuck, it's the middle of the night-"

  
"Jim, I need you to come get me," Julian's voice sounded thick. "I'm in town. They threw me in the drunk tank."

  
Lahey sat up, frowning. Julian in the drunk tank? That was weird. "Why are you calling me?"he grumbled. "Where's Ricky or Bubbles?"

  
"I-" Julian faltered. "Can you just fucking come? I'm asking for this favour as a friend. Please."

  
Lahey swung his legs over the side of the bed, shuffling his feet into slippers and glancing at Randy who was snoring lightly. That boy could sleep through anything. He considered shaking him awake but decided against it. He'd let Randy get a full night's rest. He scooped up the fallen glass and put it back on the bedside table before going to put on some clothes.

  
-

  
It was nearly 3 am when Lahey arrived at the police station, considerably sharp-eyed and sober. George Green was at the front desk, waiting for him. "Jim," he said brusquely. "You're here to pick up Julian?"

  
"Yes. What happened?"

  
George grimaced. He had dark circles under his eyes. He and Ted must have been fighting recently, hence being on the graveyard shift. "He hit a tree on a residential street. He smacked his face on the steering wheel. He was wearing his seat belt or it would have been worse. He's very lucky." The cop rubbed his cheek morosely and lowered his voice. "He was hammered. You and I both know how much liquor he can fucking handle. He's in a bad place to have got that wrecked."

  
Lahey looked past George at the hallway that lead to the holding cell. "Is he hurt?"

  
George shrugged. "He wouldn't let us really touch him. A paramedic on the scene gave him a quick once over and said he wasn't seriously injured. That was a couple hours ago. He hasn't complained at all since then."

  
-

  
Lahey peeked around the corner. Julian was sitting in the holding cell, elbows leaning on his knees and head bowed. His hands dangled uselessly, absent of his ever present glass.

  
"Hey Julian," Lahey called as he stepped into view. Julian looked up and Lahey clenched his fists to keep from wincing. The young man's face was dark with bruises and dried blood was crusted on his skin. It covered his nose and one side of his mouth. It had been wiped at, Lahey could now see the maroon streaks on the back of Julian's hand, but it had probably started bleeding again without him noticing.

  
"If you start with any sexy talk I swear to fuck I'll call Ricky instead," Julian's voice sounded clearer than it had on the phone but it was still thick. His swollen nose and face was the probable cause of the distortion in his voice.

  
Lahey assured him he wouldn't say a word. He had never seen Julian in such rough shape. "How much did you drink?" Lahey asked.

  
"Doesn't matter," Julian growled.

  
Lahey tsked but didn't push the subject. If the younger man wanted to talk about it he would in his own time. "I can pay you back for the bail money," Julian said. "I'll pay you when we get back to the park."

  
George Green signed Julian out. The paperwork was all ready for them when they approached the booking station. Julian's things; wallet, keys, watch, ring, spare change, drink glass, were in a plastic container.

  
"We're holding on to your car," George said, eyes flicking in every direction besides Julian's battered face, "come back with someone who has a valid license and you can get it towed to a mechanic."

  
-

  
There was no conversation in Lahey's car for a long time. There were wet wipes and napkins in the glovebox. Julian quietly cleaned himself up in the sun visor mirror, inhaling sharply once or twice when he touched an especially tender spot.

  
"What were you thinking?" Lahey finally exploded. "For fucksakes, Julian, this is bullshit. You're better than this."

  
"Don't fucking start with me," Julian retorted sharply. "I called you because I didn't want Rick or Bubbles to see this. I figured you would understand what its like to get into a car after one too many."

  
They drove in silence again until Lahey cleared him throat and said slowly, "George says you're in a bad place."

  
The wordless frustration in Julian's eyes hit Lahey like a punch to the gut. He had watched Julian grow from a little kid to the man he was and had never seen him look so lost. It was hard to meet the young man's gaze. Lahey switched his eyes back to the road.

  
He remembered a tearful six year old Julian with a mysteriously dead puppy and a rough spoken father who insisted the dog had been shot by a burgler. Lahey investigated that incident when he was still a cop and the trailer had shown no signs of forced entry. He remembered that same year when Julian's father disappeared, leaving his son in the care of an alcoholic grandmother. That was also the year Bubbles' parents left the park and Ricky's mother passed away.

  
Lahey remembered when Julian had withdrawn from everyone as a teenager and started doing cocaine after Ricky left the park with Lucy and Trinity for awhile. That was right before the first time Ricky and Julian went to jail. Fortunately the cocaine stopped when they got out of jail. Julian had always been strong. He was the support his friends needed to get through their own hardships despite his own problems.

  
Tonight was the night that Julian had finally broken. He was well past his adolescent years but sitting in the passenger seat with faint traces of blood on the corner of his mouth, a tightly shut jaw and sad eyes, Julian was a child who needed someone to gather the pieces of his fuck-up.

  
"There's no shame in getting an honest job," Lahey said gently, "talk to Barb. I'm sure she'd set something up for you."

  
"Sure," Julian snorted, "and be assistant to the assistant trailer park supervisor? No thanks, Jim. I can find my own way."

  
"You're too proud," Lahey snapped. "What's wrong with making an honest living?"

  
Julian turned away and looked out the window, refusing to talk more.

  
-

  
Lahey pulled up outside of Julian's trailer. "Listen to me," he said, "get some help. Let someone help you. I'm not gonna tell you to stop drinkin, I have no right to tell anyone that, but if you need help it's okay to ask."

  
"You can't help me," Julian said flatly. "I'm not Randy. I don't need to be taken in off the streets or whatever. I just need to be left alone."

  
"Left alone got you head-fuckin-first into a steering wheel."

  
Julian slammed a fist on the dashboard. The sudden noise made Lahey jump and shout "Jesus Christ!"

  
"I told you not to push it!" Julian yelled. "Just leave it the fuck alone, Lahey, okay? I asked for this favour because I couldn't think of anyone else. You're the closest I have to a father but don't you dare fucking lecture me!"

  
Lahey pulled a cigarette from the carton in his shirt pocket. He lit it and inhaled deeply. Julian's chest was heaving from his angry outburst. His hands were still curled in hard fists, one clenched like he wanted to punch something and the other clutching his empty glass.

  
"I'm not ungrateful," Julian said at last, "I appreciate you coming to get me."

  
Before Lahey could reply Julian swung open the car door and got out. Lahey watched him walk to his trailer, could hear his footsteps crunching on his gravel driveway. He waited until Julian got in to his trailer before backing the car out and driving back home.

  
-

  
Lahey crawled into bed next to Randy, who was dead asleep. Lahey closed his eyes and sighed quietly to himself.

  
He woke the next morning with the alarm clock blaring. He shut it off and rolled over. He put his hand on Randy's shoulder and shook him. "Wake up, Ran."

  
"Mmm," Randy opened one eye halfway. "Five more minutes."

  
"No we gotta get up," Lahey forced himself to sit up. His body protested loudly at the movement. Every cell was screaming at him to go back to sleep. "It's your turn to cook breakfast."

  
They went about their morning routine easily. Randy gave no indication that he knew anything about the night's events. He had slept through the whole event. Lahey felt exhausted but had no regrets. He stepped outside while Randy started frying bacon to get the newspaper.

  
"Jim," a voice called. It was Julian. He was walking up their driveway. Lahey was dismayed but not surprised to see a full glass of rum in his hand. In the other, there was a large envelope. Julian was wearing sunglasses but it did nothing to hide the bruising on his face. His nose looked normal at least, nothing broken. "I said I'd pay you back for bail," Julian said gruffly. He thrust the envelope at Lahey, "Here."

  
Lahey accepted the envelope graciously. It would do no good to refuse it, even if he could afford to not take the money. It would hurt Julian's pride more than it already was. "Thank you, Julian."

  
-

  
Julian was scarely seen around the park for a week. No one seemed to know why he was avoiding everyone except for Lahey. But he kept his mouth shut. When Julian finally emerged from his self-inflicted seclusion, the bruises on his face were almost gone.

  
Lahey kept peace with the boys for a few weeks afterwards. He would tell Randy he was waiting for them to let their guard down but he really just wanted to see Julian get some confidence back. No one seemed to notice besides J-Roc and T that Julian's car was gone, but the matter was dropped quickly. Julian would get a new, nicer car soon enough and no one would question it.


End file.
